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Winter has arrived especially early this year, and seems to be especially cold as well. During the Amitabha and Chan sessions, temperatures dropped to as low as eight degrees Celsius below zero. In these frigid conditions, ice formed on the ground; one must be careful not to slip. People bundled and wrapped themselves in winter wear. Despite all this, everyone's enthusiasm was not to be abated. Coming from different places, everyone scrambled to the Sagely City to get a taste of the three-week Chan session.
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Chan Hall of Tathagatha Monastery |
The session began on the evening of Sunday, December the 28th; located on the second floor of the Tathagatha Monastery was the warm Chan Hall for the men side. Since this session was held during the holiday season, it was a rare opportunity indeed. It can be seen that this era of technological explosion has quickened the pace of life, and has caused many to grow more and more detached and disoriented. But many students, as well as many of those who work, clutched to this hard-to-come-by opportunity, and allowed themselves to take a breather from the hectic life - a brief moment of liberation - to visit the inner depths of their minds.
Of course, to any left-home person, winter is a season for investigating Chan and summer is a time for investigating the Dharma, and so the Chan Session is nothing extraordinary to them. Those of the Sangha, apart from their daily cultivation, have many different responsibilities to hold, which are certainly enough to keep them busy. To truly participate one must be free of all mundane obligations, single-mindedly work diligently, take advantage of the chance to reflect on oneself, and reexamine the successes and failures in cultivation of the past year. It could be said that this session is the annual "final exam." It could also be a chance to set a clear agenda for the new year.
Most of the laity are beginners and still have yet to overcome the problem of pain in their legs and also understand the many different methods and dharma doors of sitting in Chan. Dharma Master Chuan held a meditation class everyday at 7:30 in the morning specially in the Chan hall of the Great Compassion Quad. He would patiently and comprehensively instruct his students; he has greatly benefited them and so quite naturally has received much positive feedback. Many are truly grateful for Dharma Master Chuan's guidance and feel as if they had "entered a mountain of treasures not to return empty handed."
In the Chan hall, everyone is engaged in a brave battle with the demon of affliction, demon of sleep, demon of illness, demon of pain, and all sorts of other demons. There was an atmosphere of intense diligence in the Chan hall that inspired everyone not to easily give in; not to surrender. People strive to move forward with vigorous energy. In fact, the Chan hall could actually be likened to that of the eight-power allied forces engaging in an epic clash; the brief period of running meditation is especially invigorating as everyone charged forward like ten thousand horses galloping at full steam.
Dharma Master Da-Xing, the Italian guest monk, views Chan as his primary dharma door in cultivation, and this was his second visit to the City. During the 21 days, whether he was walking, running, or proctoring, he always inspired and enlivened others in their cultivation. Each corner of the Chan hall is posted with the words "誰Who," which serve as a reminder to constantly investigate the mediation topic. Dharma Master Da-Xing would turn on the lamps that were directly below these words so that the gentle light could illuminate the words "誰Who," thus enabling him to diligently investigate the meditation topic whether he was walking or sitting in meditation.
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Investigating......Who? |
Bhikshu Yuan-Ruin from the Shaolin Monastery in China. He is from, in fact, the same village as the Venerable Master. Even though he studied abroad here in the US, he never knew about the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Upon returning to his hometown, some people mentioned this place to him and so then only did he realize the missed opportunity. Nevertheless, this let him plant the seed of thought to eventually visit the Sagely City. He participated in the two-week recitation session and was so moved that he often shed tears. When it was his turn to report during the Chan session, he admittedly said that he was in a constant struggle with the spirit of death everyday.
He was born with Polio, and when he was young, he fractured a bone in his right leg, and so he was unable to sit in full lotus. But he did give rise to a thought: in my lifetime, all I ever wanted to do is don the monastic robe and have a picture taken of me sitting in full lotus - I could pass away peacefully after I have done these. On the first day of the Chan session, he noticed that everyone sat in full lotus, and was deeply regretful that he could not. On the second day, he struggled but managed to pull his right leg up, only then to hear something snapping. He wondered, "Did I just break my leg?" Fortunately, there was nothing and from that point onwards kept to practicing sitting in full lotus. He never imagined that his dream would come true in the Sagely City. When he finished his story, his eyes began to water.
There were two young Polish men who participated in both the two-week recitation session and the three-week Chan session, and they also resolved to take only took one meal a day; such vigor cannot go without praise. One of them started cultivating nine years ago after reading the Venerable Master's commentary on the Sixth Patriarchs Sutra, and the other learned of the Buddhadharma five years ago. They both received the Three Refuges and Five Precepts in 2007 when Dharma Master Sure led the delegation to Poland. So during the ceremonies, one will notice two conspicuous, tall, young men looking very adorned in their precept sash.
They are very grateful of the Venerable Master for establishing this monastery as well as the laity who resolve to protect the monastery, thereby providing them the opportunity to cultivate in such a pure environment. In the City, they discovered the proper goals and direction in cultivation. One in fact made a vow, during the Chan session, to the Venerable Master that no matter how intense the pain becomes, he was going to remain sitting in full lotus. By the end of the Chan session, he had fulfilled his vow.
There was also another person; a young Vietnamese man who had read the Venerable Master's instructional talks when he was 11 or 12 years old. By that time, he began to long for a visit to the City, and always thought about coming here to cultivate. He graduated from high school, and felt as if he were in a dream when he was able to finally visit the City.
In another case, it was also the first time visiting the City for a student of Utah University, although he did visit many other temples in Taiwan. Seeing the left-home people wearing their simple robes caused him to think how adorned they are and how different this place is; he never imagined that such a pure and serene environment could ever exist in this world. Even the atmosphere was of a unique energized with the spirit of cultivation. During meditation, he felt as if his body was simply empty, and was overjoyed to be able to have a taste of Chan.
Dharma Master Jin Yong returned to Taiwan because his mother was ill, but specially returned to participate in the Recitation and Chan sessions. He certainly treasured the time to cultivate. Dharma Master Jin Yan left the home life in 1998, and although he had left the home life for a decade, he felt very regretful that he had not made any progress. He reflected on the confused decade and from the thoughts passing through his mind decided to write something very similar to Zhu Ge Liang's (Chinese Chancellor from the Three Kingdom Era) deeply stirring pep talks. He set a firm resolve to work harder than he had for the last decade, and so this time he made significant progress.
Beside the Buddha images in Tathagatha Monastery hangs a verse composed by the Venerable Master:
In the smelting of the Vajra resolve,
monasteries are protected by all Buddhas of
the ten
directions;
a place from which Sages appear,
thus increasing the assembly of Dharma Kings in the Saha
World.
The Chan hall is certainly the smelting furnace for cultivators. Regardless of nationality, language spoken, social status, good roots or even practiced Dharma doors, one has to let go of all these differences to collectively take the test, bear the hunger and the cold, endure the pain and the suffering so that all can strive forward as one to attain the Vajra body of indestructibility and uncover that inherent wisdom in everyone. That is why the Venerable Master once said: "If you sit Chan once, then you will gain that much of a benefit and your Dharma body will gain that much in growth"
The 18th of January 2009 marked the completion of the Chan session, and although it seemed like every other session, everyone did seem to have just finished cleansing their souls, and to have planted more Vajra-like seeds of becoming Buddhas. As it is said,
The fruit of cultivation is like the spring grass;
its growth goes unnoticed - but it still grows nonetheless.
The effect of neglecting cultivation is like a whetting
stone;
such deterioration is imperceptible - but it still decays
everyday.
Are you not deeply moved by this winter's Chan session? |
